Archive for the Braces Category

You’d have thought by now that the dental profession would have found a way to make braces treatment quicker, wouldn’t you? After all, everything else in the world gets faster all the time. How come it can still take a couple of years for braces in Windsor to straighten teeth?

At The Old Windsor Dental Practice, we get asked questions about the speed of braces treatment all the time. Everyone wants it to be over as soon as possible. Braces are an inconvenience. They interfere with eating. They make brushing your teeth take a whole lot longer. And, let’s face it, they are never going to be a must-have fashion accessory. So, why does braces treatment take so long? Let’s take a look a what’s going on under your gums when you have braces on your teeth.

The components of traditional braces

There are 4 basic components in bracket and wire fixed braces. They are:

Brackets: made of either metal or ceramic, they are attached to your teeth

Bonding material: glue or a metal band attach the bracket to your teeth

Arch wire: a thin metal wire that runs between each of the brackets

Ligature elastic: this goes around the bracket to hold the wire onto it.

The arch wire exerts a constant pressure on the teeth to pull them into position.

Meanwhile, under your gums…

The pressure from the arch wire pulls the teeth in a particular direction. This is determined by the angle at which the brackets are fixed to the teeth. This pressure affects the membrane surrounding the teeth, stretching it on one side and compressing it on the other. This makes the tooth a bit loose in its socket, and new bone grows in the gap where the tooth is loose to support it. At the same time, bone on the area where the membrane is compressed is resorbed in order to relieve the compression.

This is why you need to come back to the dentist every few weeks for adjustments to tighten the arch wires and get that pressure going again. The younger you are, the quicker this remodelling process but braces in Windsor can straighten your teeth no matter what age you are.

Most people secretly wish never to hear from their dentist that they need braces. If the thought of having your teeth straightened with metal brackets and wires makes you cringe, you should do some research – modern braces are not impractical and unattractive.

At Old Windsor Dental Practice, we appreciate that many people view braces in Windsor as a way to improve the aesthetics of their smile. However, braces are much more than that. Crooked and misaligned teeth can create numerous oral health problems and for this reason they should not be ignored, no matter how old you are.

Straight teeth don’t attract as many problems

If you dread going to the dentist for cleaning your teeth because of your misaligned teeth, we hear you. Crooked and overcrowded teeth tend to accumulate more plaque than straight teeth and if this plaque is not removed by a dentist frequently, it can lead to cavities and gum disease. Regular brushing and flossing does not help misaligned teeth massively, since bacteria and food remains tend to hide into all the crevices created by your misshaped teeth. Ignoring your crooked teeth will only lead to more serious problems in the long run, therefore invest into braces in Windsor and keep your natural teeth for as long as you can.

Straight teeth can improve your quality of life

Braces in Windsor won’t only improve your oral health, they will also improve your quality of life. A lot of people with crooked, gapped, overcrowded and misaligned teeth experience problems with their speech and bite. This can lead to social embarrassment or an inability to eat and speak properly. Moreover, research has shown an interconnection between misaligned teeth and an increase in headaches, earaches and jaw pain.

Straight teeth can make you feel good about yourself again

If you can’t remember the last time you stood in front of a mirror and admired your teeth, maybe it’s time to consider braces in Windsor. Straight teeth can boost your self-confidence, improve your self-esteem and make you see life in a more positive way. Wouldn’t it be great not to hide your teeth every time you wish to smile?

There are ways to improve your dental alignment with minimal fuss and a good deal of comfort. People seeking braces in Windsor will find many contemporary options here at The Old Windsor Dental Practice. We can provide you with highly effective and personalised treatments that enhance the appearance of your smile as well as the performance of your teeth.

Enhancing your alignment

Even small adjustments can have a major effect on your dental experience. You might want to adjust one or two teeth at the front of your mouth. Once you improve these teeth with braces in Windsor, you’ll have a visibly more appealing smile.

Alternatively, you might have a more complex set of adjustments to make. A crooked smile can make good oral hygiene difficult to maintain. When there are spaces in your mouth that your toothbrush has a hard time reaching, bacteria can build up. Thus, your risk of gum disease and tooth decay is increased. Braces in Windsor, therefore, might improve your dental cleanliness as well as your cosmetic appeal.

Discreet treatments

Adults who want to avoid the visual disruption associated with realignment work might benefit from Invisalign. This is a highly discreet and user-friendly treatment for people seeking braces in Windsor. It involves several stages.

First, we take detailed measurements of your mouth using 3D imaging software. A dental laboratory then produces, a series of aligners especially for you. These aligners are made of transparent plastic and fit comfortably over your teeth.

You wear a pair of the clear aligners for around 7-10 days, before swapping it for the next pair in the series, and so on until the end of treatment. The slightly different shape of each subsequent aligner puts gentle pressure on your teeth, until they are moved into improved alignments.

Convenience

Invisalign allows you to eat meals and clean your teeth as your normally would, because it doesn’t require any attachments. You simply remove it from your mouth whenever you need to. Meanwhile, it maintains a low-key presence in your mouth because it’s entirely transparent. You won’t attract quizzical glances or intrusive questions while your treatment is ongoing.

Smiling and laughing are things that should feel great. A smile gives a sense of someone’s personality, and shows someone is most at ease. No one should feel anything but happy when they smile, but having misaligned teeth can make you feel self-conscious. So why not do something about it, and go for braces in Windsor.

Here at The Old Windsor Dental Practice, we understand that there is nothing quite like the feeling of smiling with confidence when your teeth are looking their finest. That’s why we provide braces to boost your confidence, as well as improve your overall health.

Who is suitable for braces in Windsor?

Everyone is different, and so are their reasons for getting braces. Having braces can mean different things to different people. Maybe you have missed the boat on getting braces as a child, and now want to do something about your smile. Whatever your dental needs, we will speak to you and go through your options in detail so we can find a solution that fits your lifestyle and teeth.

Advanced technology means that you can have braces without having to feel self-conscious about your teeth. There is a multitude of options, such as clear, tooth coloured, nearly invisible, and removable appliances. If you have a busy life and don’t want the hassle of worrying about the look of braces during social and business events, people may not even realise your going through treatment.

As well as being cosmetic, straight teeth are easier to clean, which reduces risk of gum disease, improves people’s overall dental health and overall sense of well-being and day to day confidence.

What involved with braces in Windsor?

Firstly, we will take photos and x-rays of the teeth to determine the following treatment plans.

On the day of treatment, the brackets are bonded to the individual teeth and joined by wires that gently nudge them into the correct position. After treatment, the patient will have to wear retainers to stop the teeth from slipping back out of place.

We also offer Invisalign and fixed appliances. If you are thinking about going for braces in Windsor, book a consultation and we can see which option is most suited to you.

At Old Windsor Dental Practice, we offer a range of teeth straightening treatments. If you are looking for braces in Windsor, look no further.

ClearSmile Aligner

This is a transparent, removable tray that fits over your teeth. It works on the front 6-8 teeth, the ones that show most when we smile. Treatment takes 6-24 months to complete, depending on the severity of misalignment.

The great benefit for adults is that the aligners are clear, and can’t be seen. They are also removable. This means they can be taken out for eating and cleaning, and there are no issues with food getting stuck in the brace.

Invisalign

The Invisalign system is also made from clear aligners. Unlike ClearSmile, it can be used to correct misalignments of the teeth across the whole set. Treatment takes 12-18 months, depending on the severity of the case.

The aligners trays are also removable and transparent. And, in common with ClearSmile, are custom-made using digital technology. For both treatments, our braces dentist will take impressions of your teeth using a handheld digital scanner. These measurements are then fed into a computer programme, and a 3D treatment plan is created. This has two benefits: it shows you what your teeth will look like at the end of treatment, and it gives the technicians pinpoint accurate measurements with which to create your bespoke braces.

Incognito

These are lingual braces, which means that they are fitted to the tongue side of the teeth. The great benefit of this is that they are completely hidden from view. They also can treat the whole range of teeth misalignment issues, rather than merely cosmetic issues, which is the case with many other types of adult braces in Windsor. Treatment can take up to two years.

Fixed metal braces

We also provide traditional bracket and wire braces in Windsor, because for certain issues, they are still the best tool for the job. Treatment can again take up to two years.

After all these procedures, a retainer will need to be worn to hold the teeth in their new positions.

Drop into our surgery today and find out more about how braces in Windsor can help you to a happier and healthier smile.

We would love to help you improve your smile and resolve those crooked teeth. Using braces in Windsor we offer effective, long-term solutions to straighten your teeth. Teeth straightening has advanced over many decades and nowadays treatment with braces is a lot faster and more comfortable than it used to be. If you have problems with the way your top and bottom teeth line up or otherwise misaligned teeth, we can help you achieve a more confident smile with braces in Windsor.

Modern invisible braces

Here at Old Windsor Dental practice, we are proud to offer our patients Invisalign. This modern teeth straightening treatment is a great alternative to fixed braces. Invisalign uses clear plastic aligner trays which are virtually invisible. Invisalign is popular with adults who prefer not to wear more obvious fixed brace options for months on end. The removable aligners are easy to use and maintain. They fit around your lifestyle effortlessly. Created using 3D computer imaging, Invisalign aligners fit over your teeth, moving and straightening them gradually. The average treatment time for this system, which can resolve mild to moderate alignment issues, is one year.

What are the life benefits of teeth straightening?

Oral health

Straighter teeth are healthier than crooked teeth. This is because straight teeth are easier to keep clean. Often people with alignment issues find that they have hard-to-reach areas between their teeth. These areas are prone to plaque build-up and that lays a path for tooth decay and gum disease to take hold. Having your teeth straightened ensures there will be fewer areas that are difficult to clean in your mouth, which means improved oral health.

Social aspects

It’s amazing what a difference feeling confident about your smile can have on your life and state of mind. People who have crooked teeth often hide their smile, in extreme cases it can make people become less sociable. Sometimes the subconscious effects of not liking your smile can be detrimental to your self-esteem. Having a smile you can feel confident about could make all the difference to your social and professional life.

So straighten your teeth with braces in Windsor and enjoy a healthier smile for years to come.

Did you know that having straighter teeth makes them much easier to keep free from plaque? And do you know why it’s important to keep plaque at bay? Here at Old Windsor Dental Practice, we encourage patients to get straight teeth with braces in Windsor because we know about the knock-on benefits of teeth straightening treatment.

Plaque and braces in Windsor

Plaque is that sticky film that builds up on your teeth during the day. If you could put some under a microscope you would see that is made up of millions of bacteria. They naturally live in the human mouth and feed on sugars from food and drinks. If you eat a particularly sugary snack, you will notice your teeth starting to feel ‘furry’. That’s the plaque. Unfortunately, these bacteria exude acids and these eat away at the enamel on your teeth to cause decay, and inflame and irritate the gums. This causes the gums to lift away from the teeth and then the acids attack the tooth roots and bones beneath.

Plaque and gum disease are also linked to other diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, dementia and rheumatoid arthritis.

It’s easy to brush plaque off the surface of the teeth, but it also builds up in crevices and the harder they are to get at with a brush, the more chances there are of developing decay and gum disease. Wonky teeth have more crevices, but teeth straightened with braces in Windsor are much easier to keep clean.

Straight teeth and self-esteem

People are very tuned into each other’s smiles. We use the smile as a way of assessing how friendly and healthy someone is, a hardwired behaviour many thousands of years old. So, when you have something imperfect about your teeth, even something as mild as a twist or a bit of a lean in or out, you can become terribly self-conscious about it, and cover it up by not smiling much. Braces in Windsor give you an aligned set of teeth that will boost your self-confidence. You will find yourself smiling more and find others responding to that warm, friendly smile in ways that help smooth your path through life.

If you’re looking for a realignment treatment that’s worth writing headlines about, then you should check out your options at Old Windsor Dental Practice in Windsor. Braces are one of the treatments that we offer to patients to get them back on the straight and narrow when it comes to their smile.

There are a number of reasons why we think that patients enjoy their teeth-straightening treatment with us. Our passion for patient comfort is second to none and we think that’s worth writing an article or two about. Below we discuss some of the aspects of treatment that we’re particularly proud of.

Thorough consultation

A good consultation involves detailed dialogue between dentist and patient. We know how to guide you through this if you aren’t sure what you need to know. A member of the team at Old Windsor Dental Practice will talk you through the process of getting braces, the effect they will have on your life during treatment and what you can do to care for your teeth and equipment. You may also be able to choose between a few different methods of teeth straightening.

Plenty of choice

We offer a range of braces in Windsor at our practice. Once we have decided which ones might be suitable for your needs, you can choose between them. Some people like fixed braces because they are low-maintenance and you can just wear them and forget about them. Other people like the control and discreet appearance of removeable braces. Whatever you choose, we think you will be pleasantly surprised by the speed, comfort and appearance of braces in Windsor.

Support throughout treatment

Braces in Windsor take anything from a few months to a few years to straighten teeth depending on the severity of your misalignment and the number of treatment stages that you need. Regardless of the length of your treatment, we support you every step of the way.

Aftercare

We hope that once your teeth are straight, that won’t be the last we see of each other. Old Windsor Dental prides itself on developing long-term beneficial relationships with its patients so that we can continue to look after your newly-aligned smile.

A history of sucking dummies and thumbs can take its toll on your teeth, so much though that it can begin to affect their alignment. There are many reasons as to why you might have crooked or crowded teeth, but sometimes, it is just genetic or happens naturally. If you feel embarrassed and your smile is sacrificed, that’s when you know you need a solution.

In Windsor, braces are the answer to such worries. They serve to straighten your teeth, enhancing their appearance and make you forget that you ever stopped smiling.

While we provide teeth-straightening treatments at Old Windsor Dental Practice for cosmetic reasons, they also play a massive part in improving your lifestyle and oral health. Having a cross-bite or crooked teeth can cause you discomfort when you chew and bite on foods. It can also make it difficult for you to properly clean your teeth and look after your dental hygiene, leading to issues like gum disease and tooth loss.

The clear alternative to the traditional

It seems easy to ignore the option of braces in Windsor if you think they will get in the way of your confidence when going to work or attending a special occasion. For adults, traditional braces may not seem like an option. Thanks to advances in modern dentistry, we have teeth-straightening treatments at Old Windsor Dental Practice that are both flexible and nearly invisible.

Invisalign is an impressive way of straightening your teeth. It is a collection of clear aligners that will fit snugly over your teeth. The aligners you are given will not be universal, as they are unique to you and your teeth. You change your aligner every 7-10 days, knowing that with every switch, you will be getting closer to achieving your straighter and healthier smile.

Looking forward

By receiving braces in Windsor, you will be delving into a happy and healthy future of good oral health. They can improve both your quality of life and how you feel when you smile. By ridding your smile of big gaps, you can prevent complications that arise when plaque builds up.

At Old Windsor Dental Practice, we will welcome you into a warm and friendly environment.

When you straighten your teeth, your smile will look a lot better and you will find it much easier to keep your teeth clean too. In Windsor, braces are highly customised for maximum efficiency, and use innovative materials to maintain low visibility. At Old Windsor Dental Practice we offer a wide range of modern realignment treatments for all kinds of dental positioning problems. Whether you have a crooked smile, a misaligned bite, or wonky front teeth, we can help you to transform your dental appearance.

Why choose to have braces in Windsor?

A wonky smile can be an ongoing source of cosmetic dissatisfaction. It’s amazing how much of an impact the correction of even small imperfections can make. If you habitually hide your mouth when laughing, or keep it firmly closed when appearing in photos, you will benefit from having braces in Windsor.

Our contemporary treatments are discreet and comfortable. Many of our realignment appliances use transparent and tooth-coloured materials to avoid attracting unwanted attention to your appearance.

A range of options

At your initial consultation, we’ll listen to your concerns about your dental positioning, and recommend the most appropriate way to achieve your desired transformation.

Invisalign might be an effective solution for mild-to-moderate repositioning needs. This popular treatment uses a series of transparent plastic aligners. These are 3D printed from detailed measurements from a scanner, so they fit your teeth exactly. You start with the first aligners int the series, and where them until the pressure eases, which takes 7-10 days. Then you wear the second set, and so on. Each aligner takes your teeth one tiny step along the gradual journey to alignment.

The aligners are designed to be removed for eating and cleaning your teeth.

Traditional methods

We also offer more traditional wire-and-bracket braces in Windsor. These are often suitable for more complex or severe realignment requirements, and can be made with low-visibility materials. All our treatments are delivered according to meticulous treatment plans, and the dentist will let you know exactly how long the process will last before it begins. It may take some time to achieve the results you want, but you’ll be enjoying the benefits for many years after you’ve stopped wearing your braces in Windsor.